Environmental monitoring and research (2018-2019)

Table of Contents

Northern Contaminants Air Monitoring: Organic Pollutant Measurements

Project leader

Hayley Hung, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Team

Pat Falletta and Enzo Barresi, National Laboratory for Environmental Testing; Fiona Wong, Liisa Jantunen, Derek Muir, Camilla Teixeira, Alexandra Steffen, Nick Alexandrou, Helena Dryfhout-Clark, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Phil Fellin, Henrik Li, and Charles Geen, AirZOne; Derek Cooke, Ta’än Kwach’än Council; Jamie Thomas, previous IK student; Organics Analysis Laboratory Analytical Team; Alert Global Atmosphere Watch Laboratory Staff; Laberge Environmental Services; Chelsea Rochman, University of Toronto; Nathalie Tufenkji and Laura Hernandez, McGill University

Funds

$199,511

Project Summary (2018-2019)

The atmosphere is the main pathway for organic contaminants to enter Arctic ecosystems. This air monitoring project was started in 1992 to measure these contaminants in Arctic air. Measuring how many organic pollutants are present in Arctic air over time will provide us with information on whether their air concentrations are decreasing, increasing or not changing over time; where these chemicals have come from; amounts from which region and which climate conditions influence their movement to the Arctic. Governments can then create policies to limit their emissions and hopefully reduce what comes into the Arctic. Results from this continuing project are used to negotiate and evaluate the effectiveness of international control agreements, to assess risks of new contaminants, and to test atmospheric models that explain contaminant movement from sources in the South to the Arctic. 

In 2018-19, weekly sampling will continue at Alert, Nunavut, but only one out of four weekly samples will be analyzed for routine trend analysis of organic pollutants and emerging chemicals in the air. The remaining samples will be extracted and archived in case they may be helpful for future investigations or to measure the presence of emerging priority chemicals. This year we will also continue to screen for emerging chemicals, including current-use pesticides (CUPs), new flame retardants (FRs), stain-repellent-related perfluorinated compounds, and organophosphate flame retardants (OPs). A passive flowthrough air sampler specifically designed for use in cold environments has been used at Little Fox Lake, Yukon, since August 2011, to investigate whether contaminants from trans-Pacific and Asian locations are important contaminant sources to the western Canadian Arctic.

 

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Air Measurements of Mercury at Alert, Nunavut and Little Fox Lake, Yukon

Project leader

Alexandra Steffen, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Team

Hayley Hung, Geoff Stupple, Greg Lawson and Jane Kirk, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Greg Skelton, Skelton Technical Services; Ellen Sedlack, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Alert Global Atmosphere Watch Laboratory Staff; James MacDonald, Council of Yukon First Nations; Derek Cooke, Ta’än Kwach’än Council; Bridget Bergquist, University of Toronto

Funds

$113,200

Project Summary (2018-2019)

This project looks at the levels of mercury in the Arctic air from Alert, Nunavut and Little Fox Lake, Yukon. The primary goals of this project are to look at changes of mercury levels over time and understand how they behave in the air. Mercury is in the air as a gas or attached to dust (particles). As a gas, it stays in the air a long time but on particles it can fall onto the surface and end up in the ecosystem. This study provides data on how much mercury is in the air, how it is brought into the Arctic by air and how much falls from the air onto ground. The data collected is used in mathematical models to predict future scenarios of mercury levels in the Arctic air. This information supports national and international policies to control the release of mercury worldwide. This research also contributes to understanding how climate change may influence mercury contamination in the Arctic. Finally, this research provides a part of the overall puzzle to try to understand how mercury affects those living in the North.

 

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Passive Air Sampling Network for Organic Pollutants and Mercury

Project leaders

Hayley Hung, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Alexandra Steffen, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Team

Fiona Wong, Liisa Jantunen, Helena Dryfhout-Clark, Tom Harner, Geoff Stupple, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Derek Cooke, Ta’än Kwach’än Council; Jamie Thomas, previous IK student; Alert Global Atmosphere Watch Laboratory Staff; David McLagan, Carl Mitchell, Frank Wania, University of Toronto; Michael Barrett, Véronique Gilbert, and Monica Nashak, Kativik Regional Government; Donald S. McLennan, Angulalik Pedersen, Dwayne Beattie and Johann Wagner, Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR); David Oberg, Chris Spencer, Government of Nunavut; Erika Hille, Annika Trimble, Edwin Amos, Andrew Gordon and Jolie Gareis, Aurora College; Diane Giroux, Annie Boucher, Akaitcho Territory Government; Rosie Bjornson, Kathleen Fordy, Patrick Simon, Deninu Kue First Nation (DKFN; Arthur Beck and Shawn Mckay, Fort Resolution Métis Council; Tausia Lal, Hamlet of Fort Resolution; Rodd Laing and Liz Pijogge, Nunatsiavut Govermnet; Tim Heron, Northwest Territory Métis Nation

Funds

$42,877

Project Summary (2018-2019)

This project will measure pollutants, namely persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury, in the air at seven locations across Canada’s North. When POPs and mercury enter the ecosystem, they may affect the health of Northerners. Currently, there are only a few locations in Canada’s Arctic where these pollutants are measured. Pollutants are carried through the air from other places in the world to the Arctic. This project’s network of locations will help provide a more comprehensive picture of where contaminants come from and how they are changing over time.

Our air measurements are collected through passive samplers. Passive sampling refers to collecting contaminants from the air on a trap that sits out in the open without any pumps pulling in the air. While passive sampling takes much longer than traditional sampling, the passive samplers are a low-cost, low-maintenance way to monitor air pollutants and are ideally suited to the Arctic environment. This method is straightforward and can easily involve students or other interested persons in the sample collection, enhancing communication between the project team and local communities as well as creating training opportunities for Northern students.

 

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Temporal Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Metals in Ringed Seals from the Canadian Arctic

Project leaders

Magali Houde, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Derek Muir, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Steve Ferguson, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Team

Resolute Bay Hunters and Trappers; Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers; Arviat Hunters and Trappers; Rodd Laing, and Liz Pijogge, Nunatsiavut Government; Xiaowa Wang, Mary Williamson, Amy Sett, Amila De Silva, and Jane Kirk, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Enzo Barresi, Helena Steer, National Laboratory for Environmental Testing (NLET); Brent Young, Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Aaron Fisk, University of Windsor

Funds

$77,430

Project Summary (2018-2019)

Three questions that this project is addressing are:

(i) how are concentrations of legacy contaminants, such as PCBs and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as well as mercury, changing over time in ringed seals, 

(ii) are trends similar across the Canadian Arctic, and

 (iii) what are the spatial and temporal trends of new contaminants?

The project currently involves annual sampling at Sachs Harbour, Resolute, Arviat, and Nain. All sampling is done by local harvesters and coordinated by the Hunters and Trappers Associations in each community who are supplied with sampling kits and instructions. Samples of blubber of female and juvenile seals are analyzed to determine trends in POPs concentrations. Liver of male and female seals is analyzed for mercury and other heavy metals as well as new contaminants such as brominated and fluorinated chemicals. Muscle samples are analyzed for mercury and also for carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes to assess seal diets. Samples are archived for possible future contaminant studies.

 

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Temporal and Spatial Trends of Legacy and Emerging Organic and Metal/Element Contaminants in Canadian Polar Bears

Project leaders

Robert Letcher, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Carleton University

Markus Dyck, Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut

Team

Adam Morris, Abde Idrissi, and Guy Savard, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Carleton University

Funds

$33,225

Project Summary (2018-2019)

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the top predator of the arctic marine ecosystem and food web. Starting in 2007 and ongoing into the 2018-2019 fiscal year, on a biennial or annual basis (depending on the contaminant measured), this project seeks to determine long-term temporal trends and changes of Northern Contaminants Program priority persistent (legacy and emerging) organic and elemental pollutants (POPs) in polar bears and focusing on the southern and western Hudson Bay (Nunavut) subpopulations. For 2018, we will collect sample data on essentially all of the emerging POPs that are Northern Contaminants Program priorities, and mercury. To more clearly reveal temporal trends, we will look to see what portion of the variance in emerging POPs concentrations is due to confounding factors such as age, sex, body condition, time of collection, lipid content, and diet and food web structure (via carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios and fatty acid profiles). Northern community members are important partners in this research as they carry out the annual harvest of polar bears and collect tissue samples for POP and mercury monitoring.

 

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Temporal Trends of Mercury and Halogenated Organic Compounds (Legacy and Emerging) in Three Beluga Populations Landed at Hendrickson Island NT, Sanikiluaq NU and Pangnirtung NU.

Project leaders

Lisa Loseto, Fisheries Oceans Canada

Steve Ferguson, Fisheries Oceans Canada

Cortney Watt, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Team

Shannon MacPhee, Sonja Ostertag, Bruno Rosenberg, Dana Neumann, Ashley Elliot, Blair Dunn, and Claire Hornby, Fisheries Oceans Canada; Amila DeSilva, Magali Houde and Jane Kirk, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Emily Nee-Way and Vic Gillman, Fisheries Joint Management Committee; Darlene Gruben, Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee; Pangnirtung Hunters and Trappers Organization; Sanikiluaq Hunters and Trappers Organization; Gary Stern, Ashley Gaden and Gregg Tomy, University of Manitoba; Amy Caughey and Michele Leblanc-Harvard, Nunavut Health and Social Services; Kami Kandola, NWT Public Health and Social Services

Funds

$66,115

Project Summary (2018-2019)

This project monitors contaminant levels in three beluga populations to see if there are differences in concentrations, by location and over time, in mercury and organic halogenated compounds (including legacy and new compounds). We plan to strengthen the programs and partnerships with the communities by building a holistic or ecosystem based approach to the data collection that includes Indigenous knowledge as well as multidisciplinary research about belugas and their supporting ecosystem. With the development of solid long-term contaminant datasets we can begin to bridge knowledge systems and the observed climate change impacts on ecosystems to improve our understanding of the contaminant trends in the context of ecosystem shifts and emission trends.

 

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Temporal Trends of Contaminants in Arctic Seabird Eggs

Project leaders

Birgit Braune, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Carleton University

Philippe Thomas, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Carleton University

Team

Amie Black, Robert Letcher, Paul Smith, Abde Miftah Idrissi and Guy Savard, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Mark Mallory, Acadia University; Kyle Elliott, McGill University

Funds

$74,430

Project Summary (2018-2019)

Since 1975, contaminants have been monitored in seabird eggs from Prince Leopold Island in the Canadian High Arctic. This program is now the longest-running contaminants monitoring program for seabird eggs in the circumpolar Arctic. Eggs of thick-billed murres have also been sampled since 1993 from Coats Island in northern Hudson Bay. Coats Island is a Low Arctic monitoring location that we can use to compare with our data from Prince Leopold Island. 

This year eggs will be collected from the five species of birds at Prince Leopold Island including northern fulmars, thick-billed murres, black-legged kittiwakes, black guillemots, and glaucous gulls. Sampling of black-legged kittiwakes, black guillemots, and glaucous gulls occur every five years and sampling of northern fulmars and thick-billed murres happens every year. The Sulukvait Area Co-Management Committee (ACMC) has raised concerns regarding annual seabird research and monitoring activities carried out at Prince Leopold Island. We will continue to communicate with the ACMC regarding the relevance and importance of data and information generated by the field program at Prince Leopold Island and discuss options for future research and monitoring activities.

 

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Temporal Trends and Spatial Variations in Mercury in Sea-Run Arctic Char from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Project leaders

Marlene Evans, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Derek Muir, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Team

Ekaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay) Hunters and Trappers Organization; Milla Rautio, Univerisité du Québec à Chicoutimi; Michael Power, University of Waterloo; Donald S. McLennan, Canadian High Arctic Research Station; Jane Kirk, Amila De Silva, Magali Houde, Geoff Koehler, Jonathan Keating and Xiaowa Wang, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Les Harris, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Funds

$13,600

Project Summary (2018-2019)

This core biomonitoring study is investigating trends in mercury concentrations and other metals in sea-run (anadromous) Arctic char from the domestic fishery at Ekaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay). Of particular interest is how mercury concentrations are responding to changes in climate, air circulation patterns, and Asian and other mercury emissions. As in previous years, 20 Arctic char will be harvested from the sea by local fishermen and provided to us for analyses; we will work with the Hunters and Trappers Organization in these collections. In addition, we will continue to collaborate with others investigating features of Arctic char biology in their marine and freshwater environments and develop new opportunities being provided with the creation of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS). Field work, which began in Summer 2017 and involved community members, will continue into 2018. 

We will visit Ekaluktutiak in Summer 2018 to provide an update on study results, explore opportunities for additional study of these Arctic char, and conduct limited field sampling. We also will discuss interests in other contaminant monitoring which could complement the existing NCP biomonitoring program, e.g., seals to create an ecosystem-based study at CHARS.

 

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Temporal Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Mercury in Landlocked Char in the High Arctic

Project leaders

Derek Muir, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Jane Kirk, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Günter Köck, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Studies (ÖAW-IGF), Austria

Team

Xiaowa Wang, Camilla Teixeira, Amber Gleason, Amy Sett and Mary Williamson, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Jacques Carrier and Enzo Barresi, National Library for Environmental Testing; Debbie Iqaluk, Resolute Bay; Ana Cabrerizo, Spanish Research Council, and Environment and Climate Change Canada; Ben Barst, McGill University; Karista Hudelson, University of Windsor

Funds

$35,700

Project Summary (2018-2019)

This project is investigating is how concentrations of contaminants in landlocked Arctic char from lakes in Nunavut are changing over time. As the only fish in most High Arctic lakes, char are useful indicators of contaminants that enter lake waters from the atmosphere. We do this by measuring pollutants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury in the fish each year to see if levels are decreasing or increasing. The project, started in 1999, now has information on long term (11-20 sampling years over about 25 years) trends of POPs in char in four lakes including Resolute, Char and Amituk Lakes on Cornwallis Island near the community of Resolute Bay, and Lake Hazen in Quttinirpaaq National Park on Ellesmere Island.

All of the fish collected so far have been analyzed for mercury. Toxic metals such as cadmium as well as essential elements such as selenium have also been determined. A smaller number have been analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other POPs including new and emerging contaminants.

In 2018 we plan to continue annual sampling of Amituk, Char, North, Small, Hazen, and Resolute lakes. Since 2005, Debbie Iqaluk has collected fish from all our targeted lakes on Cornwallis Island in a wide range of weather and ice conditions. In 2018, we will only analyze samples for mercury, multi-elements, and selected new and emerging contaminants. Results of the project will continue to be reported annually to the Hunters and Trappers Association, the Hamlet of Resolute Bay (Qausuittuq), and to the Nunavut Environmental Contaminants Committee on a timely basis.

 

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Spatial and Long-Term Trends in Persistent Organic Contaminants and Metals in Lake Trout and Burbot from the Northwest Territories

Project leaders

Marlene Evans, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Derek Muir, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Team

Rosy Bjornson and Diane Giroux, Akaitcho Territory Government; Ray Griffith and Lauren King, Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation; George Low and Mike Low, Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management Program; Xinhua Zhu, Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Jane Kirk, Amila De Silva, Magali Houde, Jonathan Keating, Xiaowa Wang and Sean Backus, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Funds

$29,450

Project Summary (2018-2019)

In this study we are measuring mercury, other metals, and persistent organic pollutants in lake trout and burbot from three locations in two regions of Great Slave Lake to assess trends in concentrations of contaminants. We will get lake trout from the domestic fishery at Lutsel K’e (East Arm) and the commercial fishery operating out of Hay River (West Basin); burbot will be obtained from the domestic fishery at Fort Resolution (West Basin), located on the Slave River delta. Twenty fish of each species will be harvested from each location by community members. In 2018, we will focus on analyzing concentrations of mercury, other metals, and newer chemicals such as flame retardants. We will also update our trend analyses of organic contaminants in lake trout and burbot in Great Slave Lake, and our mercury trend investigations in several species of fish from Great Slave Lake and other areas in the Northwest Territories. Results will be reported to our partner communities in a coordinated visit to the Great Slave Lake area, ideally in summer. This will provide us with the opportunity to discuss study results, explore expanded community partnerships, and conduct lake sampling and training while on site. 

 

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Temporal Trend Studies of Trace Metals and Halogenated Organic Contaminants (Hocs), Including New and Emerging Persistent Compounds, in Mackenzie River Burbot, Fort Good Hope, NWT

Project leaders

Gary Stern, University of Manitoba

Ashley Gaden, University of Manitoba

Team

Norman Pierrot, Fort Good Hope Renewable Resources Council; Ainsleigh Loria, University of Manitoba; Liisa Jantunen and Tom Harner, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Funds

$20,171

Project Summary (2018-2019)

This year, 20 whole burbot will be collected from the Mackenzie River by the Fort Good Hope Renewable Resources Council and sent to the University of Manitoba to record weight, length, age, sex, dietary indicators, and contaminants like mercury and persistent organic pollutants (e.g. pesticides, flame retardants). Collecting these fish will help us investigate the contaminant concentrations and trends in these burbot, and what, if any, associations these concentrations and trends have to biological and environmental data. Burbot are an important country food for the community of Fort Good Hope and the Sahtu region, and with help from territorial and national health authorities, we ultimately want to determine if these fish are safe to eat. We also want to know what environmental and ecological factors may be affecting contaminant concentrations and trends, in an effort to understand and contribute to best practices for managing renewable resources (burbot) in the Mackenzie River. Previous results show that average mercury concentrations in past burbot collections have averaged 0.36 parts per million (ppm) in muscle tissue, which is below the Health Canada guideline (0.5 ppm). We expect 2018 concentrations to remain low.

 

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Long Term Trends of Halogenated Organic Contaminants and Metals in Lake Trout from Two Yukon Lakes: Kusawa and Laberge

Project leader

Mary Gamberg, Gamberg Consulting

Team

Derek Cooke, Ta’an Kwach’an Council; Dixie Smeeton, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations; James Macdonald, Council of Yukon First Nations; Oliver Barker, Environment Yukon; Darrell Otto, Yukon College; Derek Muir and Xiaowa Wang, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Funds

$45,386

Project Summary (2018-2019)

The objectives of this project are to:

  • Maintain current data on contaminant levels in lake trout from two Yukon lakes (Laberge and Kusawa),
  • continue to assess levels of contaminants such as trace metals (e.g. mercury, selenium, arsenic), organochlorine contaminants, selected current use chemicals such as brominated flame retardants, and fluorinated organic compounds,
  • use data on contaminants levels from multiple years to determine whether the levels of these contaminants in fish , and thus exposure to people who consume them, are increasing or decreasing with time, and
  • test the effectiveness of international controls.

This project will partner with two First Nations who hold traditional territory on each lake (Ta’an Kwach’an on Lake Laberge, and Champagne and Aishihik on Kusawa Lake) to sample the fish and engage with youth and elders to foster dialogue on contaminants and local and Indigenous Knowledge.

 

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Arctic Caribou Contaminant Monitoring Program

Project leaders

Mary Gamberg, Gamberg Consulting

Team

Mike Suitor, Martin Kienzler, Yukon Government; Joe Tetlichi, Porcupine Caribou Management Board; William Josie, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation; Mitch Campbell, Government of Nunavut; Arviat Hunters and Trappers Organization; Baker Lake Hunters and Trappers Organization; Sanikiluaq Hunters and Trappers Organization; Xiaowa Wang and Derek Muir, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Funds

$85,827

Project Summary (2018-2019)

This project will measure contaminant levels in Canadian Arctic caribou to determine if caribou populations remain healthy in terms of contaminant loads, whether these important resources remain safe and healthy food choices for Northerners, and to see if contaminant levels are changing over time. 

Previous studies have found that cadmium and mercury levels in caribou kidneys and livers from across the circumpolar north are higher than in domestic animals grown for food consumption. This prompted a health advisory from Yukon Health and Social Services, based on a health assessment from Health Canada (a maximum intake of 25 kidneys or 12 entire livers is recommended per person per year for the Porcupine caribou). Although traditional foods are safe to eat at estimated consumption rates (based on dietary survey data) it is recommended that a trend-monitoring program be established to verify that the levels are not rising from local or long-range inputs and that new contaminants be addressed as they arise. 

This project addresses this recommendation by monitoring two caribou herds, the Porcupine (from Yukon) and the Qamanirjuaq (from Nunavut) on an annual basis. Monitoring populations from the eastern and western Arctic will give scientists a better understanding of the distribution of contaminants in the Arctic and the variability of contaminant burdens between herds. Two additional herds, the Lorillard herd from Baker Lake, NU, and reindeer from Sanikiluaq, NU, will be monitored this year. Twenty animals from each herd will be sampled, and their kidneys analyzed for a suite of 34 elements, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. Livers will be analyzed for a range of brominated and fluorinated compounds that have previously been found in caribou.

 

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Community Based Seawater Monitoring For Organic Contaminants and Mercury in the Canadian Arctic

Project leaders

Jane Kirk, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Amila De Silva, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Derek Muir, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Rainer Lohmann, University of Rhode Island

Team

Peter Amarualik Sr, Resolute; Rodd Laing, and Liz Pijogge, Nunatsiavut Government; Stephen Insley, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada; Xiaowa Wang, Christine Spencer, Camila Teixeira, Amber Gleason and Liisa Jantunen, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Ana Cabrerizo, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua; Trevor Brown, Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Igor Lehnherr, University of Toronto-Missisauga; Jean-Sebastien Moore, Université Laval; Brent Else, University of Calgary; Dave Adelman, University of Rhode Island

Funds

$39,710

Project Summary (2018-2019)

This project is a long-term, annual monitoring program that looks at levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury in seawater. The project started in May 2014 and built on previous work in Barrow Strait near Resolute in 2011 and 2012 and became a “core monitoring” project of the Northern Contaminants Program in 2015-16. Findings from 2016 samples show that that while numerous concentrations of stain repellent compounds (PFASs) have not changed over the sampling time, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) has declined to non-detectable levels since the mid-2000s in Barrow Strait. Mercury concentrations in Barrow Strait (2014-2016) remain unchanged compared to 10 years earlier (2004-05).

For 2018-2019, we will repeat the sampling in Barrow Strait, Anaktalak Fiord, Wellington Bay, and the Beaufort Sea with help from local communities and scientists. In addition, we will collect depth profiles in July near Cambridge Bay in Dease Strait while aboard the research vessel Martin Bergmann. Ultimately, our goal is to extend the existing information on contaminants in seawater at Resolute so that we can compare results over time. Results for other sites would allow comparison to test the representativeness of Barrow Strait as a sampling site. By committing to a long-term temporal data set, this project can be used to predict and better understand the impacts of changing ice, permafrost and snow on contaminant levels in seawater.

 

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Assessing Persistent Organic Pollutants in Canadian Arctic Air and Water as an Entry Point into the Arctic Food Chain

Project leader

Liisa M. Jantunen, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Team

Hayley Hung, Fiona Wong, Cassandra Rauert, Chubashini Shunthirasingham, Amila De Silva, Derek Muir and Jane Kirk, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Organic Analysis Laboratory, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Gary Stern and Zou Zou Kuzyk, University of Manitoba; Jason Carpenter and Daniel Martin, Nunavut Arctic College; Miriam Diamond, Sarah Finkelstein and Jennifer Adams, University of Toronto; Kyle Elliot, McGill University; Brendan Hickie, Trent University

Funds

$33,575

Project Summary (2018-2019)

In collaboration with ArcticNet, this project will collect air, water and zooplankton samples for persistent organic contaminants in the Canadian Archipelago in the summer of 2018. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are important to study because they are taken up by arctic animals including fish, seals and whales, and when traditional foods are eaten, Northerners are exposed to these contaminants.

We have developed trends over time for many compounds of concern in air and water at different locations in the Canadian Archipelago. We will continue researching these trends and developing trends for the new and emerging compounds. Generally, the trends show that chemicals that have been banned are declining in air and water while chemicals that are still being used are remaining constant or increasing. As the climate in the Arctic continues to change, the transport and fate of POPs to and within the Arctic will also change, and this research helps monitor those changes. Finally, we aim to again recruit and train a northern student from Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit to participate in ArcticNet on board the CCGS Amundsen.

 

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Climate Change, Contaminants, Ecotoxicology: Interactions in Arctic Seabirds at their Southern Range Limits

Project leaders

Kyle Elliott, McGill University

Kim Fernie, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Team

Birgit Braune and Robert Letcher, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Cynthia Franci and Jessica Head, McGill University

Funds

$34,025

Project Summary (2018-2019)

Effects of contaminants on Arctic wildlife are occurring against a backdrop of rapid climate change. Contaminants can disrupt hormones, behaviour, and reproduction. Hormones allow animals to respond to environmental stress, so contaminants that affect hormones could affect how wildlife responds to climate change (for example, extreme changes in ice condition). We have found that mercury influences thyroid hormones, which then influences the behaviour of adult thick-billed murres in Hudson Bay. In 2016 and 2017, we followed the foraging behaviour of 80 adult murres, examining their hormones and Northern Contaminants Program-priority chemicals. Like other Arctic birds, the murres had low levels of perfluorinated chemicals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and especially flame retardants, but higher mercury levels. Earlier research found that when there’s less ice coverage, there’s less cod for the birds to eat, so the birds must work harder, but gain less food, leaving their chicks weaker. Our early results suggest mercury may disrupt some hormones and foraging success of seabirds, and so their ability to respond to climate change. Ultimately, these impacts could cause seabird populations to decline but more research is required to substantiate our findings.

 

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Plastics as a Vector of Contaminants to Arctic Seabird Tissues and Eggs

Project leaders

Mark Mallory, Acadia University

Jennifer Provencher, Acadia University

Amila De Silva, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Team

Amie Black, and Birgit Braune, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Zhe Lu, University of Québec at Rimouski

Funds

$4,600

Project Summary (2018-2019)

Plastic debris is commonly eaten by seabirds, even in high Arctic waters, but only recently has attention turned to what the impacts may be of this ingested pollution. Since 2003 the Arctic seabird team has worked to identify which northern marine bird species are vulnerable to ingesting marine plastic pollution. Importantly, there is increasing evidence that once marine plastic pollution is in the gut of seabirds, contaminants adsorbed to plastics are released, which may have negative effects on exposed wildlife. We will examine concentrations of known contaminants (benzotriazole UV stabilizers) in northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes, and see if these concentrations are associated with different levels of plastic ingestion. This work builds on past work in the region, and will further identify the potential risks marine plastics may pose to marine birds.

 

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A Comparative Assessment of Relationships Between Priority Contaminants and Metabolomic Profiles in Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) and Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida) Prey from Canadian High Arctic and Hudson Bay Locations

Project leaders

Adam Morris, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Carleton University

Robert Letcher, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Carleton University

Team

Bharat Chandramouli and John Cosgrove, SGS AXYS; Markus Dyck, Government of Nunavut; Derek Muir, and Magali Houde, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Tanya Brown, Simon Fraser University; Amy Rand, Carleton University; Elizabeth McHardy, LURA Consulting

Funds

$37,260

Project Summary (2018-2019)

Metabolomics measures small molecules (metabolites) in the body that result from the digestion or break-down of larger natural compounds (e.g. sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, cell membrane lipids). These metabolites can be used to assess how an organism, tissue or cell is functioning. Metabolomics can be used, or has the potential, to show relationships between contaminant and metabolite concentrations and show us useful biomarkers of contaminant exposure. The proposed project will build on a previous investigation of metabolite-contaminant relationships in the southern and western Hudson Bay polar bears by comparing the metabolites of bears from these “high contaminant exposure” sites in Hudson Bay with bears from a low contaminant exposure site from the high Arctic subpopulation near Pond Inlet. It will also investigate how metabolites in the liver of polar bears relate to the ones found in their major prey species (ringed seals), which will provide information on how metabolites change depending on the animal’s position in the food web. This may help us more clearly reveal relationships with contaminants, diet and/or other factors. This proposed study will help us better understand how/which legacy and emerging contaminants relate to changes in the normal functioning of ringed seals and polar bears at the top of the arctic marine food web.

 

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Seabirds as a Vector and Concentrators of Microplastics in Arctic Ecosystems

Project leaders

Mark Mallory, Acadia University

Jennifer Provencher, Acadia University

Team

Amie Black, Birgit Braune and Liisa Jantunen, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Rian Dickson, Black Duck Biological; Sarah Dudas, Vancouver Island University; Kyle Elliott, McGIll University; Alison Kopalie, Nattivak Hunter and Trappers Organization; Chelsea Rochman, University of Toronto; Jesse Vermaire, Carleton University

Funds

$20,901

Project Summary (2018-2019)

Plastic debris is now recognized as a common source of pollution affecting marine ecosystems. Since 2003 the Arctic seabird team has worked to assess which northern marine bird species are vulnerable to ingesting marine plastic pollution. A number of studies show that marine bird species ingest plastics and that the birds may shed ingested plastics in the form of microplastics in their guano (poop). This suggests that seabirds, through their guano, may act as a vector for microplastic movement in the marine environment, and potentially to the terrestrial environment. To test if seabird excretion of microplastics is contributing to an accumulation of microplastics around seabird colonies, we will work with local hunters in Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut to collect biotic and environmental samples from the area around two local seabird colonies known to have birds with high plastic ingestion rates. Water, blue mussels and sediment samples will be collected below the cliff-side colonies and at increasing distances from the colony edges. Both thick-billed murres and northern fulmars will also be collected to assess current plastic levels. This work builds on past work in the region, and will further identify how microplastics are distributed and move through Arctic ecosystems.

 

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Wastewater as a Point-Source of Priority Contaminants in the Arctic: A Case Study in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Project leader

Charles S. Wong, University of Winnipeg

Team

Feiyue Wang, Jonathan K. Challis and Luis G. Chaves-Barquero, University of Manitoba

Funds

$32,114

Project Summary (2018-2019)

There is a lack of information on how wastewater can pollute Arctic ecosystems with microplastics and/or contaminants such as methylmercury. This is particularly important to study, as the harsh Arctic climate can make it difficult to treat wastewater. This project will investigate wastewaters in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut by addressing three primary questions:

(i) Do increased nutrients along and downstream of the community wastewater path contribute to increased levels of methylmercury in the local marine environment?

(ii) What is the extent of microplastic contamination in Cambridge Bay from wastewater inputs? Wastewater is known to be a primary source of plastic pollution; therefore do the levels and distributions of plastics correlate with wastewater inputs, or are there other potential sources (e.g., long-range transport)?

 (iii) Do wastewaters from the community contribute poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) to the local marine environment and how do these inputs compare to known atmospheric and oceanic sources? Are detected levels of PFAS a concern to aquatic organisms?

This research will fill a significant information gap around wastewater contaminants in Arctic systems, especially around the sources, occurrence and distribution of microplastics. These data will be shared openly with the Hamlet of Cambridge Bay to help understand their wastewater treatment and possible management options.

 

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Snowpack Mercury Mass Balance over the Spring Melt Period, Iqaluit, NU

Project leader

Murray Richardson, Carleton University

Team

Chris Eckley, United States Environmental Protection Agency; Jane Kirk, Amber Gleason and Greg Lawson, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Jamal Shirley, Nunavut Research Institute/Nunavut Arctic College; Keegan Smith, Carleton University

Funds

$45,943

Project Summary (2018-2019)

Arctic freshwater and marine environments are sensitive to atmospheric mercury pollution, as indicated by high concentrations in aquatic and marine foodwebs, including fish and marine mammals consumed by many northern and Indigenous people. Snow plays a dominant role in the accumulation and downstream export of atmospheric mercury in arctic landscapes, but there are gaps in our current understanding of how the spring melt influences release of mercury out of the base of the melting snowpack to freshwater and marine environments, versus losses back to the atmosphere through evaporation. 

The key question posed in this study will be: “How do short-term differences in weather conditions (e.g. over periods of days to weeks) during arctic spring affect the relative fractions of meltwater mercury outputs versus mercury re-emission to the atmosphere, from the end-of-winter snowpack?” The proposed work will be conducted just outside of the community of Iqaluit, NU at the location of ongoing research activities focused on snow hydrology and water-balance monitoring, in collaboration with staff and students at the Nunavut Research Institute and Nunavut Arctic College Environmental Technology Program. Knowledge acquired through the proposed study will improve understanding of the likely impacts of climate change on arctic mercury cycling, and its effects on the movement of mercury between terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments during the spring melt period.

 

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Temporal Trends of Emerging Pollutant and Mercury Deposition through Ice and Sediment Core Sampling

Project leaders

Cora Young, York University

Alison Criscitiello, University of Alberta

Amila De Silva, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Jane Kirk, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Igor Lehnherr, University of Toronto-Mississauga

Team

Amber Gleason, Greg Lawson, Christine Spencer, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Trevor VandenBoer, York University

Funds

$49,200

Project Summary (2018-2019)

Contaminants produced and emitted from Southern regions can travel through the atmosphere and end up in the Arctic. Remote Arctic ice caps preserve and record concentrations of these chemicals and allow us to understand trends in atmospheric transport and deposition of contaminants. This project will collect ice cores from the summit of a remote ice cap on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic, as well as sediment cores from Lake Hazen located downstream of the ice cap. Ice and sediment cores will be analyzed for priority contaminants, including mercury and emerging pollutants. By examining ice cores, we can see how these chemicals are transported to the High Arctic and identify any changes in how contaminants remain in the Arctic over time. Data from sediment cores will be used to understand how these contaminants make their way into downstream water bodies where they could accumulate in aquatic organisms such as Arctic char. Using these data, we can better understand sources and pathways that lead to Arctic pollution and how pollutant accumulation reacts to changes in how contaminants are produced or released. Also, measuring contaminant loads in Arctic ice and sediment can contribute to modelling how contaminants can be released into other areas in the Arctic due to climate change. This is important for understanding and managing contaminant exposure for people and wildlife in the North.

This year we will examine a suite of emerging pollutants and include mercury from ice cores in a more northern location, allowing us to better understand spatial trends and sources of long-range transport to the Arctic. Due to patterns in atmospheric movement, this more northern location is influenced by contaminants from sources that are distinct from those recorded at the Devon Ice Cap. This information will also complement current air sampling programs in the Arctic.

 

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